Lord of the Gypsies
by shadow-girl-1313
Summary: A high ranking Lord in a high established family takes in a family of Gypsies. While he decides what he will do about his estate's and family's problem he finds that he can hardly predict what's to come next. please read and review.
1. The start of something new

The Lord paced, Lord Abel Cavan, worrying about his estate problems. His estate wasn't going to survive this winter unless he married, due to his father 's will if he didn't marry by his 25th birthday he would lose all that he owned to his nephew. His nephew, Aaron Cavan was seeking fortune and many wrong things. He took a mistress every night and beat his servants when they made a mistake or some stupid little reason. His mother and father spoiled him and when they died they left him all the estates and stables, not a good choice on their behalf. Aaron Cavan was a disgrace to his noble name, their family was respected and he was trashing the name without a care.

Lord Abel Cavan looked out the window to the small town, Chadwick, and smiled. Surely the ton would have fainted if they knew he was looking for a wife. He was 23 and he knew that he wasn't going to find love; that was something girls dreamed of. He left himself plenty of time but he wasn't feeling all that great about it.

"Darcy, would you fetch my horse and cloak. I think I'll go to town for a bit."

"Very well my lord, it's about time you went out for a bit."

"Thank you Darcy." Lord Abel Cavan smiled at his Abigail and picked up his riding gloves, and retrieved his sword from its place on the wall. The reflection in the mirror shocked him, His white hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and his face was pale and his eyes looked demonic, with their violet color.

"Your horse is ready milord, and your riding cloak sir." Darcy announced and held up a huge coat for Lord Cavan to put on.

"Thank you Darcy."

"My pleasure milord, have a safe ride."

"Thank you Darcy." He said to his loyal servant. Darcy came to his castle seeking work while he was healing from a horrible riding accident. He asked for something with light work but a lot of it. Lord Abel gave him the task of being his personal, which wasn't all that demanding but it kept the young man occupied. Later on when they got to know each other as good friends he had Darcy move his family unto the estate in a house near the castle. Darcy's mother had been sick and his little sister was blind and his older brother died in the horse race that caused the accident that Darcy was involved in. Darcy had cried in front of his employer, Lord Abel had given him the week off to help his family move and loaned him carriages and horse teams to do so. Lord Abel Cavan was thinking of his staff while he rode to the small town below.

In the town of Chadwick

A group of gypsies were setting up their tents in a meadow not to far from the square they were to perform in. a white haired gypsy shouted orders and the others obeyed. Two girls danced to a foreign tune. One had red hair and was wearing something from the Middle East, also red and orange. She danced with a sword and veils flowing from her hands and weapon. The other had a red skirt and white top, hair black with a white band to hold it out of her face. They danced together, drawing a crowd for the better dancers. Two young men played, one who was dressed in all black played the percussion. Drums beat the rhythm and the wooden instrument played a happy tune. He wore a white shirt and blue britches with a crossing belt for show and had on a brown bandana to keep his messy blond hair out of his face.

"Look at the one playing the drums! He has a tattoo." A young boy proclaimed to his friend.

"His hair is like a porcupine! In color too! What do you think the reason is for him to wear gloves?"

"I don't know Christopher. But we better get home before Mother finds out we're here."

"Carmela and Lita! You should go join the dancing!" the white haired one said to a pair of identical twins. They wore different colored corsets that matched their eye color and Lita had dyed her hair purple for show.

"Okay Echo!" they chimed as they parted the crowd to dance. Two more people were left besides the famous Echo of the gypsy dancers. Faith a young maiden wore always wore cat ears and tail, that had ran away from her Egyptian home because she wanted to dance and get away from the pressures that were being forced on her. Adah was a young Jewish girl who was raped and then shunned so Echo had taken her away from her home but the girl was glad for that.

"We're all done Echo!" Adah called, bounding up to her friend.

"Okay, you guys can go to the square now."

"Aren't you gonna come with us?" Faith asked her.

"I can't, not just yet. I have to set up my tent and the booth."

"We'll help you. It's not fair for all you to do all the work."

Echo thanked them and they got to work on the booth while Echo pitched her tent.

Lord Cavan reached the square and stopped to see what was drawing the huge crowd that was in his way to the inn. He sat upon his horse and watched as many beautiful girls danced to a wonderful tune. It started slow and picked up tempo until all that you could see of them was the colors they wore and of their hair. A trio of girls trilled and jumped in and the tune changed to a questioning one…blending the entrance of them and the previous dance together.

'Well they have their act together.' Lord Cavan thought. He watched as they performed their dances and fought with different dances and techniques, the crowd thinned out some and his eyes were caught on a young woman with white hair, sea-green eyes and a nicely-tanned body. She wore a band across her breasts that was white with color, a matching veil that she had around her elbows, a skirt that was blue with a green waist band decorated with gold tassels and a ruby underneath her naval, the split was up to her hips and she wore gold jewelry that sounded like chimes when she moved. The necklace she wore caught his attention. It looked to be Egyptian and had a ruby at the base of her neck and fanned out so that a sapphire settled close to her cleavage. The others did not match her skills or they couldn't. Soon he was the only person left.

"Alright! We're done, let's go get some sleep." She said to the others.

"Demos! Dow! Make sure that you don't leave the money this time." She said laughing to lighten the mood.

"You do it once and you never hear the end of it." The blond one said sarcastically.

"Well it was your fault. Dow."

"Shut up Demos! At lest I don't look like a drowned rat."

"I could fix that for you!" the brown haired one said.

"Excuse me, but what brings you to England?" Lord Cavan asked the white haired female.

"A place to perform and earn what we have. We don't steal if that's what you're gonna say next." She said with a hint of hatred.

"No, I wouldn't accuse you of stealing. You dance beautifully." He said in a monotone. She turned her back on him and walked towards a set of twins and yelled in another language, they responded and the one in purple left in a hurry.

"What is your name? If I may inquire."

"In English? It would be Echo." She smiled at the shocked look on his face. He dismounted and bowed to her.

"I am Lord Abel Cavan." He introduced himself, and took her hand and kissed her hand. A sharp blow to his ribs and he stumbled to look into the drummer's eyes.

"How dare you!" he yelled. Echo made a motion and he went to her side.

"That is their custom when meeting a lady." She told him, "Thing are different in every land. Their expectations from each gender change, Now show him to the booth." She said before walking away. The drummer gestured for the Lord to follow her.

"You are Demos, am I correct?"

"Yeah. This is the booth of fortune telling. It is our way of apologizing. Please forgive my actions."

"It's not a big deal, I'm not exactly social myself."

"I though you were a patrolman." Demos held the curtain up for him to enter and he went to gather the horse that had held the stranger. It was a huge beast, midnight black and the full moon glistened off its coat. A beautiful horse, one like this would be feared where he came from.

Echo sat in front of him, watching him with the sea-green eyes.

"Cavan…the name fits you well…handsome one." She said.

"Maybe." Hs shrugged.

"Abel…breathe, evanescence. Your name is truly unique."

"It has no meaning to me. I have no life anyway." He replied.

"One so dark in such a wonderfully happy town?" she brushed some hair out of her face.

"I don't live in this town, I live above it."

"The dark castle on the hill? Surrounded by the haunted-looking woods." She scoffed and got up, he glanced a scar on her thigh and one peaking out from her necklace.

"How did you get those scars?"

"Dancing in a public place."

"Patrolmen?"

"Yes, however they were punished by the crowd."

"How often do you guys move?"

"We'll be here for a month or so. Then we must leave." She said absently rummaging through a trunk near his seat. He looked at a candle, inspecting the design that held it in place. A White dragon with a Red dragon and another Black dragon circling the candle in a battle like game.

"Interesting candle holder, do you know who made it."

"Yes, she's right here in the room. I also made many things that we needed and couldn't get." Echo seemed to be hiding some amusement from her voice.

"I made that the day I left my family, of gypsies of course. I made the white and black ones for balance surrounding the red one, which has blue eyes, to give balance to the life that it leads."

"I like it. Do you make them for customers?"

"I've tried, but many people forbid the purchase of Gypsy things." Her bracelets tinkled as she brought out a knife.

"This is from my old family, if you'd like to see it." She placed it on the small round table. She got up and opened a jar and the smell of cinnamon swirled around them, then she rang pull bell. A young woman appeared in clothing similar to Echo's except the breast band was red and orange and hooked behind her neck and her skirt hand no slits, bit tassels covered the bands. She had earrings of bells and well tanned with a fiery look to her face.

"Yes?"

"Farah, would you see of you could find my head jewels? I can't find them anywhere. That's why I was so late to get there."

"Faith found them in her trunk. She said you put them there for safe travel."

"Thank you. Tell her that we need to practice at the usual time."

"Echo, how long are we dancing tomorrow?"

"All day, we need the money for supplies before we move again. And new instruments. The ones we have are fading fast."

"As you wish."

"So how many people do you have?"

"Lita, Carmela, Faith, Demos, Dow, Adah, Farah, Zada and me."

"That's small for a gypsy group."

"Yeah, but we get more people every town we visit. We accept the people that society wants nothing to do with. We don't judge others by what they look like or their past. Many of us were thrown out of our homes or we left to escape their wills."

"I must go, but I'll come tomorrow and watch. Perhaps I'll bring a close friend of mine."

"It would be appreciated that you enjoyed out dancing that much, Milord."

"You worked hard and it shows. Do you have a stable for your horses yet?"

"No, we have them tied to a couple of trees."

"I have a large stable and I wouldn't mind putting them in a warm stall. I'll treat them as my own."

"I would like to see this stable before I can make them move." she said absent-mindedly

"Very well, you'll stay at my estate, everyone. I have many houses that are comfy but they are empty, perhaps you could make use of them."

"I will talk to them about this tonight. But they will question you later, when you come to watch."

"I am a young man seeking to fill my estate. It has been empty for a long time and I have been looking for someone to have talks with. You guys are intelligent and you seem to have stories."

"Milord, you're conclusions are quite accurate. Perhaps it would be wise to see how this estate stays empty with a smart young man." Echo laughed an opened the curtain for him. He hopped on his horse and thanked them for their hospitality and cantered off.

Darcy saw his master coming up the lane and met him at the door.

"Do you have any news, Milord?"

"Yes, we might have guests for nearly a month. About 10, Gypsies.

"Milord?" Darcy asked confused.

"They are wonderful dancers and they are quite intelligent."

"You enjoyed yourself sir?"

"Yes Darcy, and you shall come with me yesterday. And your sister too, she'll enjoy the music."

"Yes, Milord." Darcy smiled and escorted Lord Cavan to the stables and up to his room, where he changed and put Lord Cavan to bed. He had never seen his master smile when he announced that they would be having guests. He wasn't social, so this was totally out of character for him.

At the small camp of gypsies, they gathered and talked about a possible home for their stay. Echo introduced the idea and every discussed the possible reason for it and the dangers. After an hour of presenting the facts and weighing everything they decided that they would try it for a couple nights and go from there.

"We will keep our family rules, no matter what. Those rules are what keeps us alive and out of the path of the guillotine." She told them before they dispersed.

The next morning Abel felt someone sit down on his bed.

"Good morning Miss Sara."

"Good morning Milord Cavan."

"Are you excited for our trip into town?"

"Yes, Lord Abel."

"Carol, call me Abel. Okay?"

"Okay. Shall we get going? My horse is ready to go."

"I'll be down in a couple minutes, I must get dressed. I know that you know this is most improper."

"Yes, but I cannot see you, so why should it matter." Sara smiled, and Abel laughed.

"You do have a point…Lord of the Gypsies. In that case I shall go wait in the entrance hall for you." She got up and left. He walked down to the door and gathered her arm and escorted her to her horse, helping her on.

"I'm tying her to the tree while I go get the others, I only saw two horses and there were more people than that so, I'm bringing mounts for them. Will you be okay for a couple minutes?"

"Of course milord. Star here won't spook easily, she doesn't need to be tied up. In fact she'll follow you."

"Really? Did Darcy train her?"

"Yes. He trains all kinds of horses when he has a day off, this is the third one he's trained for me, and my favorite."

"Well then, come on star." The horse nickered and followed him to the stable, Sara rode perfectly, giggling.

"Darcy, you did a very good job in your training, did you get the horses?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you. Lynn!" Abel whistled and his huge black stallion came to him, saddle and waiting for his to mount and go. Darcy was mounted on his chestnut thoroughbred and waiting for Abel.

"Well it appears that I'm the one you guys are waiting on." He said the leather of his saddle creaking as he mounted his horse. They galloped to the town, Sara laughing with the pace.

Echo was up since dawn, packing up their stuff. Her two mares came up to her, Snow nipping at her hair and Panda nuzzled her hand.

"Okay you two." She turned around petting them, "Are you happy now?" she asked them. They nickered and the others came up to her, these were the working horses. They handled the wagon while her two mares carried packs and participated in their shows. They were both brown and white, often called Indian horses but they didn't care they were part of the family and they took care of each other.

"Echo, do you know how long until we start?"

"We should have started an hour ago." She told Adah.

"The twins and the boys have gone to set up. They thought that we could do a couple tricks in today's show. We already packed our stuff and we want you to do your kind of show as we take care of things for you."

"Adah, thank you." She hugged her friend and hopped on Panda, bareback was how she rode. "All you have to do is put the stuff on the wagon, that's all that's left beside hooking up Tallulah and Payne."

"Don't worry. Go, hurry up…they're waiting for you." She lightly slapped the horse's rump and they took off, Snow following her owner and her play mate. Echo arrived at the square and found a crowd already gathered. Little kids and their mothers, waiting to see what we were doing here. Demos came up to me and held up for his hand for Snow, she put her muzzle in his hand and he got on her, Lita rode with him and Carmela rode with Echo. They rode out how much room they would need. People made room for them with gasps. Faith and Dow played their instruments, Zada and Farrah danced around and between the horses and when Adah came she sang to the tune in our traditional language that Echo had taught them. They begun, the show involved the horses being guided with their feet as hey did pyramids, balance tricks and riding both horses as one at the same time. Adah collected coins from our amazed crowd, we finished and Echo led the horses over to the well, using her own bowl that they had brought, watered he horses by filling it and holding it for them to drink from. A small child hid behind a young lady, clutching her skirt.

"Would you like to pet them?" I asked her. The child nodded and stepped forward

Timidly, Snow turned to him and bowed her head and whinnied softly, he reached out a hand and she grabbed the carrot from my hand and gave it to the little kid.

"My name Sarah? What yours?" she asked the mare.

"Her name is Snow. If you would like to ride her, she's very gentle."

"Sarah, mom would be upset if she finds out, so hurry up okay?" the young lady told her younger sister."

"Thank you Tania!" the little girl went up to Echo and she was lifted by her hips unto the beautiful mare. Panda kneeled down for Echo to mount, the two horses rode side by side in a circle around the well. Sara laughing as she got down from the kneeling Snow.

"How did you get her to kneel?" Tania asked Echo.

"Kindness, from both of us. We come to an understanding with each other, I had both horses when I was injured, I couldn't walk so they kneeled for my to get on." She patted her mares.

"How were you injured?" Tania asked.

"I was dancing and the patrolmen tried to kill me. I ran from them after they cut my thigh in the middle of my dance. But I was too hurt to walk and I whistled for my horses. They came and the rest is history." Panda stole a carrot and put it in the hand of Tania, who was startled at the unexpected contact.

"We have to go now, come along Sara." She said after Panda finished off the carrot.

"May your journey home be in peace." Echo said as they left.


	2. Learning Quickly

Lord Abel Cavan watched as she dealt with the two young girls and a smile escaped from his lips. Darcy saw this and guided his sister to the music.

"You look nice." Abel said to Echo. She looked at him and nodded her head.

"Thank you Milord."

"Are you guys packed?"

"Yes, we are ready to go.

"I didn't know how many horses you had so I brought enough for everyone. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, our painted horses pull the wagon and these mares are our show offs. But we ride them too. Your stallion is very well built."

"Thank you, Lynn is the only one I've raised from birth. I trust him with my life."

"Well, we have to wrap up this show…would you give us a couple moments?"

"I'll give you all day. I wish to see all of what you guys can do." He guided his horse over to the crowd and watched with delight in his eyes. When they packed up their instruments Darcy and Abel helped everyone onto a horse and hitched up the wagon and they started off towards his castle.

They arrived and Abel and Darcy heard gasps that made them laugh, Sara spurted her horse and went to the stable.

"Is she going to be alright?" Demos asked Darcy.

"Star is more than adequate at helping my sister dismount and put her away. After all I did train her myself." Darcy said proudly.

"So, she's guided by the horse?" Dow asked, confused.

"No, she uses a cane to get around but when Star is with her, Star loves to guide her."

"Darcy!" Sara said running out using a cane to run towards them, she hugged Demos and then stepped back.

"Sorry, you're not my brother." She blushed.

"It's alright, he's the one on your left." He whispered, she hugged her brother and he kissed the top of her hair.

"Why don't you go see how Nana is?"

"Ok, I'll see you at supper! Bye, I hope to get to know you later at dinner." She said as she started off. Echo smiled and patted her horse fondly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot. If you'll bring your horses to the stable I believe that you'll find it sufficient. It can fit more than two herds in there."

"Really?" Farrah asked, intrigued.

"Yes, you see this castle used to be where they bred fine horses and they sold them for many different things. My family bought when the keeper became ill and gave him a room in the main part until he died, then we held a funeral for him and let his family live here until they moved to Ireland about 10 years ago. We only have about 30 horses left."

"But that's still a lot of horses' milord." Farrah answered.

"Maybe, but they like here too much to sell them, besides we seem to be expecting some foals soon." Darcy led them towards the barn and showed them where they could put their horses'. They were led back to the castle where Lord Abel showed them around the castle. They were impressed with their rooms, large, vibrant suites with individual personalities.

"Echo, are you sure he doesn't expect anything from us for all of this?" Demos asked.

"I don't expect anything from you guys at all. I only wish to see the castle used more often. Besides sleeping on the ground can not possibly be the most comfortable thing ever." Abel said over his shoulder to them. Darcy smirked at his master's good hearing.

"You're quite right, but we have been doing that for ages." Demos stepped forward, Echo turned her head to glare at him.

"I only offer you shelter, food and the same for your horses, if you wish to leave you are free to do so." Abel sat down on the chair and took off his hat, silvery hair spilt down his back and shocked them, he looked like Echo.

"Darcy, would you be so kind to see if dinner is ready to be served?"

"Of course milord, should you want the wine as well or just tea?"

"Bring the tea for now, please." Abel sighed. He got up and removed his heavy jacket, Echo took it from his hands and placed it on the coat racks and shot a look at the rest of her group.

"Thank you milady. Please," he swept his hands around the room. "Have a seat and relax." Echo watched as he sat down in the black suit with orange accents instead of white.

"Thank you milord." The twins said politely as they sat down across from him, Echo smiled as she did so. Demos went to the window as the rest followed the others' example and sat down with Lord Abel.

"This is a wonderfully gloomy place." Faith said, out of nowhere.

"Faith!" Echo gasped.

"It's quite alright. I keep the castle gloomy, to remind me of the cursed past it's had. I don't believe it's cursed though." He smiled, not revealing his teeth.

"I think we should introduce ourselves." Carmela stood and introduced herself, Lita followed. Darcy came back and rang a little bell to announce his presence.

"Maladies, Milord…dinner is served."

"Thank you Darcy. Are your household ladies planning on joining us this evening?"

"They are waiting for you and your guests Milord." Darcy smiled as Abel bowed.

"So sorry about that. Shall we?" he motioned for his guests to precede him into the great hall and into the dining room. They did and took their seats, leaving him the one at the head of the table.

"Please eat and enjoy." He said politely. He turned to the person next to him, it was the young lady that had on a school uniform, "May I ask your name?"

"My name is Zada, Milord." She said putting down her fork so she wouldn't be rude.

"Please call me Abel." He smiled and she nodded, Echo was pleased that everybody was behaving, for now. She turned to Darcy besides her, "Is he never formal?"

"Miss, he is always charming, not always formal. Long ago the village used to have huge feasts here, when this was the breeding castle. The breeders have died and they do not come up here anymore, for his father was a cruel man." He looked up at Abel and Abel nodded then he turned back to their conversation. Sara finished her plate and was talking to an older woman. Darcy smiled gently, it was full of sorrow and regret, "It began when his brother was born, and his name was Cain. Cain was a gentle soul but their father beat him calling it a holy cleansing, week after week I would hear his screams and would meet him in his room to tend his whipped back. The poor young man, I quickly became his friend, his only one, he couldn't leave the castle so he would often follow me around and help with the chores. His father let up on the beatings because of the repenting with household work. For the first time, Cain's smile was real, not a fake one that he used to hide his fear or pain…" he took a sip of water.

"When Abel was born Cain held his brother and instantly wanted to protect him, he told his father that he would watch over his brother and not let him to get hurt. He was so proud that he was an older brother. His father nodded and Cain handed Abel to him and from then on there were no weekly beatings and he was always with his baby brother. I would always bring him the bottles and help with the feedings, for a long time Cain was raising his brother. One night his father was in a foul mood and threw a wine glass across the room and it smashed against the wall, Cain covered Abel before the glass could get to him and his father went off. He yelled and grabbed him by the neck, threw him into the wall on the other side of the room and grabbed the whip from it's place next to the fire place. Abel was 7 when this happened and he wish it never happened, the beating Cain received for protecting him almost killed his brother. I snuck him away from the castle in the middle of the night and told his family that he had died and I had buried him. Abel was the most affected by this lie, he wouldn't come out of his room for nearly months. His father had gotten a horrible illness and was immobile for years before he died, without seeing his last and only son (to his knowledge). Abel was 15, and spent most of his time in the stables, taking care of the horses. He wanted to breed them again, like the last owner of the castle. I told him he was the master of the house and he asked me to explain."

The whole table was silent now, listing to Darcy's story. Abel smiled and looked away.

"He cried two tears and then went about his business. I bought him books about breeding and raising horses and since then we've been breeding and selling the horses."

"Yes, but business has been horrible here so I take half my herd down to the coast and sell them there." Abel said.

"Star was hand raised by these two and trained by my brother." Sara said proudly. Echo smiled, then felt stupid because the young girl couldn't see it.

"That's the work of an excellent trainer not to mention a topnotch one." She said. Sara blushed lightly and hugged the older woman's arm.

"Sara dear, it's not polite to hang on someone when they're trying to eat."

"Sorry Nana." She sat up in her chair.

"Demos, didn't you used to breed horses?" Faith asked.

"No, I bred dogs. It's different."

"Demos, you should have brought them, we could have made a fortune." Dow said, smiling.

"They died the day my family did." Demos scoffed and sipped the wine in front of him. "The fire killed them all, I was in town buying the food when it happened and I couldn't do anything to help them." He looked down and Sara got up and hugged him.

"How did you find him?" Farrah asked, rudely.

"I may be blind but my other senses sharpened to make up for it. Between my hearing and smell I was able to find him." She smiled and found her way back to her seat.

"That's amazing." Carmela and Lita said in unison.

"Truly." Dow agreed.

"Thank you." Sara said. Echo nodded at her behaving family members, "After dinner, is there anything planned?"

"No, not really." Abel apologized.

"How about a duel?" Demos asked, eyeing Echo.

"Do you have an opponent in mind?"

"Yes, I'd like to challenge Echo" Demos said softly, "Only for show, not a challenge for power." He clarified. The shock on Abel's face and the other English bred was something to laugh about, but nobody did.

"If she'll accept. I'll permit it." Abel said reluctantly.

"My family knows I don't back down from a challenge." Echo smiled, "Though it's usually to get some power. This is the first just for show." She looked at Demos and smiled. "I accept, Demos."

"Very well, it is set." Abel said.

After dinner and some more polite chatter Echo and Demos went outside and warmed up. The rest followed about 10 minutes later except for Nana and Sara, they went home. Demos faced Echo and they bowed to each other, then picked up their bows and began. Demos charged and used a simple head strike, Echo blocked by thrusting hers up and swiped his feet out from underneath him, he landed on his back and she stepped back, Demos flipped upwards and used a left side strike to distract her while kicking her knee, she jumped and smashed his right side with her bow, avoiding both blows. He fell to one knee and winced but kept his eyes on her. She circled him and waited for his next move. He stood and turned around, she jumped over his bow that he had swung towards her ankles, did a back flip and landed like a cat on her feet.

"You've improved since the last match." Echo said calmly. Demos shrugged, "I've only been watching you with the others." He charged and Echo spun to avoid his bow while grabbing onto it and tripping him in the blink of an eye. He fell onto his back and she sat on his chest and placed her bow against his neck.

"But I think you have a long way to go." She concluded. She got off and walked towards the tree and leaned against one. Abel was surprised that she won so easily, she didn't seem to try.

"Have you guys ever fought for a crowd? It would be popular here, even for the guards."

Echo looked at him, she had never thought of that. They used fighting to give rank and status in the gypsy pack but never thought of having people watch and pay…

"We could give it a try, but…" she looked at her family, "only if we agree as a family." One by one her family nodded.

"Very well then. We'll have a match tomorrow. Pick your pairs and report to me in the morning until then, why don't we call it a night?" she walked back to Demos and helped him up and then retreated to her room in the castle. A soft knock on the door made her look up from her book, "Come in." she called out.

Abel opened the door slightly, "Is it okay for me to come in?"

"Yes. Other wise I would have told you to go away." Echo put her book on the end table and stood.

"You're certainly not afraid to tell it as you see fit." Abel chuckled, he held out a book for her. "I thought you might enjoy this novel, it is one of my favorites…about traveling around the world with a family of strangers."

"I can almost guarantee that it's not like the book makes it seem like." She shifted, trying to relieve her left side, she had tripped and hit her hip earlier this evening.

"You hurt yourself?" Abel asked, noticing her slight shift in weight.

"I merely tripped, no need to concern yourself." She smiled politely and gently took the book from his hand.

"I'll have Darcy take a look at it."

"No, sir it's fine." She hated having anyone help her outside of her family.

"May I please see your injury?"

"Very well my lord." Echo sat on the bed and pulled her waist band down, he looked away to give her privacy.

"My lord, it's just a shallow scratch." He looked back at her, she was smiling up at him. The scratch was very bloody, large and spread out all over her hip.

"I take it that you cleaned the scrape?"

"Of course." She smiled

"But you forgot to add the hydrogen peroxide." Abel went to the bathroom and into the medicine cabin to take out the bottle and a washcloth.

"Thank you milord. I can do that if you wish."

"I don't mind, but you seem to not want any help."

"I don't find it easy to trust others." Echo acknowledged what he was hinting at.

"Forgive me for prying, but would you care to elaborate?"

"Not at this point of time, perhaps when I trust you a bit more."


End file.
